1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to speaker enclosures or cabinets recessedly mounted beneath a surface or within a structure. More particularly, the invention relates to a speaker enclosure adapted for in-wall mounting and having a suspending or isolating and insulating gasket, a spring, and a spacer providing an optimum or desirable degree of uniform separation between the enclosure faceplate and the wall in which the enclosure is mounted so as to prevent sound distortion and wall damage due to improper installation or vibrations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those with skill in the art of home theater systems and speaker enclosures or cabinets will appreciate that a number of strategically placed speakers are often desirable in order to produce the best sound. This is true, for example, in home theater systems employing left and right main, left and right surround, center, and sub-woofer speaker groupings, with each such grouping typically comprising a variety of individual specialized speakers, such as high-range xe2x80x9ctweetersxe2x80x9d, mid-rangers, and low-range xe2x80x9cwoofersxe2x80x9d. Often, it is desirable that at least some of the speakers be placed upon shelves or otherwise raised so as to minimize sound absorption and interference, tripping hazards, and aesthetic disappear associated with floor-placed speakers. As will also be appreciated, speaker sound quality is directly related to the weight of the speaker magnet, thus many audiophiles insist on increasingly heavier speakers.
A well-known solution to strategic and aesthetic speaker placement is wall- or ceiling-mounting by cutting holes in drywall, wallboard, or other building material to receive and hold each individual speaker. Unfortunately, the speakers are typically mounted upon or in contact with the drywall, resulting in drywall cracks or other failure due to vibrations transmitted by the operational speakers. Furthermore, direct speaker-to-drywall contact can result in absorption, interference, or other undesirable sound distortion.
Another solution is to place the speakers within an enclosure and mount the enclosure to the wall or ceiling. Such enclosures are typically designed to enhance speaker performance by minimizing unwanted vibrations and optimizing air flow to the speakers. Unfortunately, an enclosure and its speakers, weighing a combined thirty or more pounds, can cause the mounting surface to bow or fail, again resulting in drywall cracks or failure and possibly allowing the enclosure to fall. This is of particular concern where relatively thin drywall or other building materials have been used to save costs. Furthermore, adjacent wall and ceiling structures can cause undesirable sound distortion or vibrations and are subject to damage when transmitted speaker-generated vibrations reach certain magnitudes or frequencies. Such vibration can also lead to a loosening and separation of the enclosure mount from the mounting surface.
Some of the above-described problems can be solved by mounting speaker enclosures within walls or ceilings rather than to their surfaces. That is, rear and side portions of an enclosure are recessed within the wall, and preferably coupled with one or more wall studs, so that only a flush-mounted faceplate protrudes and is seen, with the speakers being mounted to an interior surface of the faceplate. Unfortunately, though the enclosure may be mounted to wall studs, contact between the faceplate and drywall can still cause bowing, cracking or failure thereof, particularly where the faceplate is overtightened thereupon during installation. Furthermore, even though the faceplate does not depend directly from the drywall, speaker vibrations can still be transmitted from the enclosure via the mounting studs to the drywall, which, again, may cause cracking, sound distortion, or other undesirable effects.
Additionally, even where a compressible material, such as, for example, a tubular gasket, is used to insulate or isolate the faceplate from the drywall, a heavy or low frequency speaker, such as a bass woofer or sub-woofer, can cause some or all portions of the the compressible material to over-compress or to compress unevenly. Typically, due to the substantial weight or low frequency of such speakers, a bottom portion of the compressible material compresses to a far greater degree than a top portion thereof, thereby undesirably causing the faceplate to appear unevenly mounted upon the drywall, and potentially causing the faceplate to continually or intermittently physically contact the drywall at or near the over-compressed bottom portion of the compressible material, resulting in the aforementioned damage and acoustic problems.
Due to the above-identified and other problems in the art, a need exists for an improved speaker enclosure and mounting method.
The speaker enclosure of the present invention overcomes the above-identified and other problems in the art to provide a simple and inexpensive enclosure and mounting method for suspending or isolating and insulating the faceplate and speakers from the mounting wall, thereby reducing distortion, vibration, and damage due to undesirable contact and transmission of speaker vibrations. Specifically, the present invention comprises a speaker enclosure adapted for in-wall mounting and having a heavy duty compressible rubber gasket, preferably including a collapsible tubular air chamber or pocket, interposed between faceplate and speaker box to prevent overtightening of the faceplate to the drywall and thereby provide an optimum or desirable degree of contact separation and sound insulation.
The preferred enclosure comprises a speaker box presenting an access opening and adapted for mounting upon one or more wall studs and dimensioned so as to fit between exterior and interior wall surfaces; an isolating and insulating gasket affixed about a perimeter of the box opening; a faceplate to which the speakers are mounted; and a plurality of independently adjustable threaded coupling mechanisms for coupling the faceplate with the box. The speaker box is mounted so that the uncompressed gasket protrudes beyond the drywall surface, and provides, when compressed, an optimum or desired degree of uniform separation between faceplate and drywall. The insulating gasket is further able to absorb speaker-generated vibrations that might otherwise be transmitted via the wall studs to cause sound distortion or damage the drywall.
Recognizing that heavier or low frequency speakers, such as bass woofers or subwoofers, can cause over-compression or uneven compression of the gasket, an equally preferred alternative embodiment of the enclosure adds a spring and a spacer ring to some or all of the coupling mechanisms to resist undesirable over-compression of the gasket, particularly a lower portion thereof, thereby facilitating maintaining the optimum or desired degree of uniform separation between the faceplate and the drywall.
These and other important aspects of the present invention are more fully described in the section entitled DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT, below.